Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou took a clear lead in his bid for re-election but failed to win an outright victory at weekend polls, forcing the race into a second round run-off, official results showed Friday.

The CENI election commission said the 63-year-old won 48.41 percent of the vote with his nearest challenger, jailed opposition leader Hama Amadou, picking up 17.41 percent. The final round is to be held before end March.